LIFESTYLE
As much as we love gifting, shopping, and the pleasure of well-chosen indulgence, Christmas has a bit of a habit of tipping into meaningless excess. There’s a point every where gifting stops feeling generous and starts feeling over commercial. Everything is last day for guaranteed Christmas delivery, everything is “the perfect gift for X” and somehow much of it feels particularly meaningless. The wonderful joy of giving a perfect gift gets flattened by volume, quantity and how much has been spent.
The most refined gifts have always shared a common quality, they just make sense. They’re about relevance, noticing the small details, remembering a passing comment, or choosing something that reflects the person receiving them.
We will always love a beautiful object and a little indulgence. What we’re opting out of is panic-buying, anything novelty-for-novelty’s-sake, and gifts that exist purely to tick a box.
This guide isn’t anti-gift in spirit. It’s anti-consumerism.
Experience-Based Gifting: The Ultimate Luxury
Time is the ultimate luxury. Its irreplaceable, the only currency that never replenishes, no matter how carefully you spend the rest.
Experience-based gifting isn’t new, but it’s still wildly underused. Perhaps because it requires a little more thought. You have to consider someone’s routines, preferences, and what they might actually enjoy rather than what looks impressive.
A Pilates or reformer package at a studio they already frequent shows attention in their daily activities. A class pass somewhere beautiful that they’ve mentioned once in passing shows listening. For the friend who is always too busy for themselves, a pre-booked treatment is an act of care. Not a voucher they’ll forget in a drawer, but a date in the calendar, already handled. For fragrance lovers, a bespoke perfume consultation or scent-layering session is something special that they would never buy themselves. It turns something familiar into something deeply personal.
Facials, lymphatic drainage, bodywork, acupuncture, sound healing. These are gifts that restore rather than accumulate. They say, I want you to feel good, not I needed to buy something.
Other experience ideas that feel a little different:
- A private cooking class or wine tasting where they can learn more about their particular interest cuisine or wine region.
- A ceramic or flower-arranging workshop to make something to take home.
- A photography or creative session with a local professional photographer.
- A sauna or cold plunge membership for some extra wellness and selfcare.
These gifts leave a lasting imprint, growing skills, knowledge or just giving them some time for themselves.
Practical Luxury: The Things We Use Everyday
Practical luxury is about upgrading the everyday, something we're big fans of here. Taking something ordinary and choosing the best possible version of it. It's not flashy, not branded for the sake of it, just excellent quality that will make every day feel that little bit more special.
A bottle of excellent olive oil, chosen as carefully as a bottle of wine, linen spray that makes the bed feel hotel-level, a hand soap that turns washing your hands into a small pleasure, a hand-thrown ceramic dish for salt, rings, or teaspoons by the sink, a notebook with weight to it, pages that invite writing rather than lists, the list is endless.
Think of the objects we touch daily:
- Notebooks, journals, planners
- Tea towels, napkins, table linens
- Mugs, espresso cups, water glasses
- Salt cellars, butter dishes, serving spoons
- Bedside trays, catch-all dishes, pen holders
All of these have the potential for upgrading, and when these items are well-made and thoughtfully chosen, they elevate the everyday routines. They are used often, always appreciated, and remind the gift receiver of the gift giver everytime they are picked up.
Under 200 AED, Still Luxury
Budget doesn’t dictate taste. Taste does.
Under 200 AED, gifts can still be treasured and special. There is plenty of room for pieces that feel premium without being excessive, one well considered item, not several filler gifts. The mistake most people make is trying to stretch the budget instead of refining the choice.
Some ideas that always feel premium:
- A classic paperback with a personal inscription
- A sculptural candle in a neutral tone
- Hand-poured taper candles with a velvet ribbon
- A silk eye mask
- A handmade ceramic trinket dish for rings or keys
- A well-made leather notebook
- A framed print or photograph of a memorable occasion
Presentation matters here. Gift it in a simple box, tissue paper and a handwritten note. These details elevate even the most modest gift.
Consumable Gifts, Use Them, Love Them, Buy Them Again
Consumables are so underrated. Food, drink, and beauty products that gift receivers would never buy themselves because they are seen as too bougie.
- Truffle, panettone, artisanal butter
- Specialty tea or coffee
- A small-batch jam, honey, or condiment
- Luxury face cream or body oil
- Beautifully packaged soap
The best consumable gifts feel indulgent and special. They’re enjoyed fully and elevate someone else's life in the way you like to elevate your own.
The No-Waste Wrapping Approach
Traditional wrapping paper is a one-day affair. Beautiful, yes. Wasteful, also yes. The anti-gift approach treats wrapping as part of the gift rather than an afterthought.
Silk squares tied around boxes or bottles. Fabric wraps that can be reused. Velvet or grosgrain ribbon saved and rotated year after year. Brown paper elevated with a sprig of rosemary or a handwritten tag. The wrapping becomes part of the gift and something to keep, reuse and remember.
Our Final Words on Anti-Gifting
The anti-gift guide isn’t about withholding or being lazy. It’s about refining the gifts given. Giving fewer gifts makes each one matter more. The goal this Christmas isn’t to impress. It’s to connect over each gift and give joy. Choosing gifts that understand the recipient, what makes them tick and the life they actually live.
The best gifts aren't necessarily flashy or expensive. They're used, loved, cherished, remembered. And perhaps that’s the most luxurious gift of all.